This Colorado Company Is Helping Craft Breweries Make Better Beer

Brewery Finance’s Better Beer Now program gives brewers an opportunity to obtain much-needed quality control equipment at an affordable price.

If you’ve ever gone on a craft brewery tour, chances are you didn’t spend much time in the lab—if the brewery had an in-house lab at all. The quality control department is usually the smallest and least exciting part of a brewery for beer drinkers—and due to the high costs of staff and lab equipment, sometimes it’s non-existent.

But one local company is doing something to help. Brewery Finance founder, home brewer, and craft beer enthusiast Rick Wehner recently launched the Better Beer Now initiative to assist breweries of all sizes get the equipment they need to make better beer. (His Colorado-based company, Brewery Finance, is the first equipment company to cater solely to the craft beer industry; think fermentation tanks, canning equipment, keg fillers, and quality control equipment such as microscopes and pH meters.)

The Better Beer Now program finances quality control equipment at a lower cost than the company’s other financing payment options. Initially, Wehner only made the program available to clients in Brewery Finance’s portfolio. But after noticing a trend of small breweries having difficulty getting off the ground—or even closing down altogether—he realized that the initiative could be a helpful asset to the industry as a whole.

“As we developed it, it became really clear that this in an opportunity for us to support the entire industry,” Wehner says. “This is our chance to do our part to support the Brewers Association’s call for better beer and give small breweries access to equipment that otherwise they may just cut out of the budget.”

Through Better Beer Now, Wehner offers breweries with qualifying credit and six months of business under their belt an affordable payment system for equipment. The first six months costs just $99 per month, followed by monthly payments based on the total cost of the equipment.

“The idea is that the barrier to entry is really low, so it’s not going to hurt [a brewery’s] cash flow,” Wehner says, emphasizing how important it is for small breweries to focus on quality control. “The cost of recalling or dumping one batch of beer can put a small brewer in a financial hole that could be devastating.”

Since launching the initiative in early February, Wehner has already received multiple calls from breweries nationwide looking to take advantage of the program. We’ll take that as a sign that better beer is in all of our futures.

POSTCARDS FROM THE WEEKEND: FULL MOON PADDLE

As the sun set over the snowcapped peaks of the Rocky Mountains in the distance, paddling-enthusiasts from across Colorado’s Front Range, all gently bobbing and drifting on top of the calm waters of Union Reservoir, cast their sights east for the first glimpse of the full moon. Spread out across the spacious reservoir, headlamp-clad paddlers in kayaks and canoes, and sprawled out comfortably on top of stand up paddle boards, patiently waited for the blood moon to rise — even offering up a chorus of wolf howls for encouragement. And rise did it ever. Slowly, and with a grandeur only Mother Nature herself could conjure up, bright rays from the moon began to crawl out of the horizon, much to the delight of its eager fans and the participants of Rocky Mountain Paddle Board’s Full Moon Paddle.

Don’t miss Rocky Mountain Paddle Board’s next Full Moon Paddle on August 7.

Photo Location: Union Reservoir, Longmont, Colorado.

Postcards From the Weekend is our weekly photo series showcasing images and stories from our adventurous and outdoor-loving contributors at Elevation Outdoor Magazine. Follow along and see where our team of adventure-seekers like to spend their weekends.

STRAIGHT TALK: JOHN HICKENLOOPER

John Hickenlooper, isn’t your average politician. He’s a geologist, served as mayor of Denver and co-founded of Wynkoop Brewing Company. He’s also an avid outdoor aficionado who embarked on his long career as a public official after a series of political conversations with patrons at his Denver brew pub. His values and background represent the spirit of the state—Coloradans elected him governor in 2010, indentifying with his forward thinking. His entrepreneurial history and geologist’s connection to the land still weave their way through his rhetoric and inform his goals and decisions at the state capitol. But the times, they are a changin’—and Hickenlooper faces more challenges than ever to continue protecting the the state’s resources. What’s more, the popular governor, who has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate, will step down in 2018, due to term limit laws, but he is sure to keep influencing how Colorado evolves.

You’re originally from Pennsylvania. what drew you to Colorado?

I first came through Boulder in the 70s on my way to a geology field camp. Then, after I finished my masters in geology, the only place you could get a job as a geologist was Houston or Denver. That decision took about five seconds. I came out here in 1981 and never looked back.

Along with Colorado senators Cory Gardner (R) and Michael Bennett (D), you’ve been vocal about luring the Outdoor Retailer trade show to Colorado. Why is Colorado a good fit for the show and what challenges do you foresee with the state potentially becoming the host?

In terms of outdoor recreation, Colorado is the best model you could have of what outdoor recreation can be. We have so many different public spaces. We have national parks and state parks, and conservation stations all over the place. That allows us to have so many different types of outdoor recreation, which we think is a big part of our economic success. One of the things I love about the outdoor recreation industry is that the people who make so much of the gear like to be in smaller towns (versus big cities). I think it’s healthy for the financial ecosystem to have more businesses in rural parts of your state. That’s another reason why we’re so attracted to the outdoor industry. We’re also in the center of the country, which means people from the east coast and the west coast can easily make it here. Our friendly western welcome also makes the state a great place to host large conventions. I know the space in Colorado to hold the show is tight, but we’re in the process of creating the National Western Stock Show Center which is only two light rail stops from downtown. We have 650,000 square-feet of convention space, so we’ll figure out the space. We’ll make it work.

You’re currently featured in the Outdoor Industry Association’s #TogetherWeAreAForce campaign. What message are you hoping to send to Washington by being a part of this outdoor and conservation-centric campaign spurred by the outdoor community?

Washington is just now starting to measure the economic impact of outdoor recreation. There are a lot of people in Washington who think that our public lands should be completely opened up to oil and gas exploration. I’m a geologist, and I’m sensitive to the needs of oil and gas, but I think there needs to be a balance. A lot of these landscapes should be protected forever. One hundred years from now, how will we look back? Once you begin to develop, it’s very hard to go backwards.

There’s a big conversation happening right now about whether public lands should be in federal hands or turned over to the states and even private owners. Who do you think should manage them?

We work very hard in this state to responsibly manage our state lands. The vast majority of these are off limits to developers. But I think there’s a role for the federal government to have some level of public ownership because they’re protecting those lands for all Americans and that’s ultimately going to be a safer, even more secure lockbox than state control for the next generation and the generations to follow.

It’s no secret that Colorado’s population is growin, with the result of big crowds at popular outdoor destinations throughout the state. How do you plan to encourage visitors to explore the state’s outdoor treasures while mitigating those overcrowding issues?

There are issues at our popular outdoor destinations. Are those places going to become more like a national park or state park? That’s one possibility. Our national parks and state parks, and those opportunities that are easily accessible, we want to make sure that more people can get there, but it’s probably not going to be the same experience if you go on a weekend. Summer gets really busy when vacationers are here, but if you go to the really remote parts of the state, like the Never Summer Mountains, you won’t see another person the entire time you’re there. Those opportunities still exist. I think the crucial thing is that our development stays confined to urban areas and small towns.

Where’s your favorite place to go outside and play here in Colorado?

That all depends on the season. I love skiing—I’ve skied almost every resort in Colorado. But my favorite outdoor recreation is biking. Biking around Breckenridge is gorgeous, and, of course, there are some amazing trails around Crested Butte.

We know that you are a craft brewer and big beer fan. What’s currently on tap at the Governor’s Mansion?

Right now we have an IPA, a pilsner and a stout, but it rotates often.

Tyra Sutak is Elevation Outdoors’ digital editor. A Colorado native, she also  writes for 5280  and DiningOut magazines, among other publications.

Want the governor to hear how you feel about his policies in the state of colorado? Call the office of constituent services at 303-866-2885. 

LYONS-BASED SPIRIT HOUND DISTILLERS RELEASES BARREL-AGED RUM

 

TYRA SUTAKNOVEMBER 11, 2016

GO OUTSIDETYRA’S TRAVELS0 COMMENTS 0

It’s no secret that I like the whisky—and the whisky that the folks at Spirit Hound Distillers in Lyons, Colorado are making is some damn good whisky. But for the first time in a long time, I sipped on something other than the hand-crafted and oh-so smooth straight malt whisky on a recent visit to the Spirit Hound tasting room.

This time, I sipped on the rum—aged in a whisky barrel, of course—because when your whisky is that good, why wouldn’t you? A traditional Agrarian Style rum made with cane sugar and molasses sourced from the Caribbean, Spirit Hound’s Mountain Bum Rum has made a few appearances in the distillery’s spirits line-up since their inception in 2012.

“Rum isn’t something that we originally planned on producing,” said Craig Englehorn, Spirit Hound’s head distiller. Englehorn was is the middle of making one of the inaugural rum batches at the distillery when record-breaking flood waters hit the town—stranding Englehorn in the distillery for more than a day. The initial batch of rum produced was dubbed the “Flood Rum” and it didn’t take Spirit Hound too long to run through the first batch.

On Saturday, November 12, Spirit Hound is throwing a release party to celebrate the limited-release Barrel-Aged Rum and the return of rum to the distillery’s tasting room. The small-batch, twice-distilled rum has been aging in one of Spirit Hound’s whisky barrels for the past year, and will make its debut in the tasting room in 750 ml bottles, and mixed into two delicious cocktails: The Rocky Mountain Coloda—a delightful creamy and seriously dangerous island-inspired drink, and a Buick Special Martini made with rum, peach bitters, honey syrup and lemon juice. Both drinks will be available at the release party which will run from 11 am to 9 pm. A food truck, live music, and the chance to chat barrel-aged rum with Englehorn are also on tap for the event.

POSTCARDS FROM THE WEEKEND: FROM THE EAST TO THE WEST

 

TYRA SUTAKOCTOBER 31, 2016

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In the west, they rise. Majestic and proud. Their delicate peaks, painted white, always reaching higher to blur the line between land and sky. When you’re in them, the rest of the world fades away. Only the natural beauty at your fingertips and the untamed earth beneath your feet exist in that moment. Leaving the mountains, bound for the eastern plains, it’s easy to feel a little ache in your soul. But one glance in the rearview mirror is all it takes to remember that mountains aren’t something you leave behind—they stay with you always.

Postcards From the Weekend is our weekly photo series showcasing images and stories from our adventurous and outdoor-loving contributors at Elevation Outdoor Magazine. Follow along and see where our team of adventure-seekers like to spend their weekends.